AIR-TEC Named Authorized Service Center for GE's M601 and H80 Engines

AIR-TEC Aviation Maintenance has signed an agreement with GE Aviation to become an Authorized Service Center for the M601 and H80 turboprop engines. As part of the agreement, AIR-TEC will offer comprehensive line maintenance, removals and re-installations of engines and LRUs and engine spares for the M601 and H80 engine families. In addition, AIR-TEC will provide some on-wing heavy repairs and manage a pool of spare / rental engines for the African region. GE Aviation will provide AIR-TEC with comprehensive material support and training.

"AIR-TEC has extensive experience with L410/420 aircraft, powered by M601 engines," said Paul Theofan, president and managing executive of GE Aviation's Business and General Aviation Turboprops. "As an Authorized Service Center, AIR-TEC will provide its customers with enhanced maintenance options to ensure their planes remain in top operating condition. Africa has a large installed base of M601-powered L410 aircraft and represents a significant growth opportunity for the H80 engine. This cooperation with AIR-TEC will play a key role in the H80 growth in the region."

A key contributor to the successful introduction of the M601-powered L410 in the African market, AIR-TEC is now the largest L410 fleet operator in Africa. As well as being an aircraft operator, AIR-TEC also sells and leases L410/420 aircraft for regional airlines, aid agencies and NGOs, oil exploration companies and clients requiring smaller aircraft. Based in Port-Louis, Mauritius, AIR-TEC has branches in France, the Czech Republic and South Africa. The company's goal is to provide its clients with first-class services to ensure their operational success, and its wide array of fleet diversifaction and custom-made leases allow AIR-TEC to provide its clients with a solution that works best.

GE Aviation's Business & General Aviation Turboprops has more than 1,600 M601 engines in service that have accumulated more than 17 million flight hours on 30 applications. The H80 engine recently received its engine type certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and will power business and general aviation, utility and agriculture aircraft. The H80 engine combines the elegant, robust design of the M601 engine with GE's 3-D aerodynamic design techniques and advanced materials to create a more powerful, fuel-efficient, durable engine compared with the M601 engine, with no recurrent fuel nozzle inspections and no hot section inspection. The H80 engine will also feature an extended service life of 3,600 flight-hours or 6,600 cycles between overhauls, significantly enhanced hot-day takeoff performance and high-altitude cruise speeds. The H80 will provide the option of a single- or dual-acting governor, allowing customers flexibility in propeller selection.

The H80 engine has been selected to power multiple applications, including the Aircraft Industries L410 commuter plane, Thrush 510G agricultural aircraft and Technoavia's newly designed Rysachok aircraft, a twin-engine, 10-seat general aviation aircraft. The H80-powered Thrush 510G aircraft has been flight testing since last year and entry into service is anticipated this year. In November, Aircraft Industries began its flight tests of the H80-powered L410 aircraft, which is expected to enter service later this year.